Cream of celery soup is a good way to add celery flavor to casseroles, soups and meat dishes if you don't have celery on hand or if you want to enhance the celery that is in your dishes. However, you don't always have to use cream of celery soup to achieve this effect in your cooking.
Heavy Cream
One idea is to use heavy cream and a few teaspoons of celery salt in your meal. For example, if you're making a flavored bechamel sauce for a pasta dish, you can combine a cup of heavy cream, four teaspoons of celery salt, two teaspoons of salt, a teaspoon of black pepper, a teaspoon of garlic powder and a cup of Parmesan cheese.
Vegetable Stock
If you're looking for a healthier alternative to cream of celery soup, you can substitute a box of vegetable stock. Some good dishes to use vegetable stock for include chicken noodle soup, vegetarian lasagna, risotto, couscous, braised root vegetable dishes, and seafood dishes. To enhance the stock's flavor, also use spices such as celery salt, garlic or onion powder, cayenne pepper, black pepper or cumin.
Pesto with Celery
Another idea is to make pesto and substitute chopped celery instead of the traditional basil, and include walnuts, a pinch of salt, a half-cup of Parmesan cheese, a few teaspoons of olive oil and a few teaspoons of chopped garlic. You can use this pesto as a marinade for poultry or seafood and as a substitute for salad dressings.